The seven-foot-tall metal extension, known as a ‘finial’, was so heavy that the thieves could not carry away the whole thing and took only the upper part, leaving the rest on the roof.
Part of it was found on the mosque premises with the tip stolen
The Moti Masjid was built by Sikandar Jahan Begum, the daughter of Qudsia Begum, in 1860. For over 160 years, the red sandstone towers, pearl white domes and the glistening golden spikes have been a mesmerizing sight on the Bhopal skyline.
According to the complained filed by night watchman Mohammed Laeeq, 50, he and his colleagues went to sleep after offering Namaz on Thursday morning. Around 10am, a man who lives right in front of the mosque woke him to say that the metal extension of a minaret was missing.
According to Laeeq, who hails from Shamshabad in Vidisha and lives in Murli Nagar in Karond, there were three other watchmen with him on Wednesday night – Md Farooq, Salman and Abdul Majid. There was a fifth man who slept in the mosque that night. All four guards did their duty till the morning Namaz and they slept. After they were roused by a neighbour, they ran up to the terrace and found the metal extension lying on the ground and the top part missing. The stolen part was said to be at least 100 years old. Senior community members rushed to the Masjid after which the police complaint was filed. Multiple teams of Talaiya police and crime branch are investigating the theft. The thieves seem to have dodged every CCTV camera fitted in the building. Police are hoping to get some clues from other CCTV cameras in the locality.
